Deatheaters' revenge
by brigrove
Summary: Sequel to Ginny and the muggles. Voldemort is dead and his follower's plan for war has failed, thanks to Ginny and a muggle. Now the death eaters are out for revenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Deatheaters' revenge, chapter one. **

**Author's notes...**

**I just bought the double DVD of Order of the Phoenix as it finally came out here yesterday a week later than promised. I have to say I was disappointed by the extra content. In particular I missed the cast interviews which we've had in the previous DVDs. I hope they do better with the final two.**

**I couldn't resist continuing a little further with my story. Let me know if you think it's worth continuing.**

**This is a sequel to Ginny and the muggles.**

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

It was nearly six months after filming had been completed that Bonnie and Evanna were together again in London, this time with the other stars of the films for the usual round of interviews preceding the premier, both for television and for the extras that always accompany the double DVD of each film.

Although they'd been offered separate hotel rooms, Evanna had surprised everyone by insisting on sharing one with Bonnie, causing more than a few rumours, which both girls laughed off. Only Evanna knew the terrible nightmares which Bonnie still suffered and she didn't want to leave her alone.

The pace of interviews was relentless and Bonnie seemed to be tiring quicker than the others. She decided on an early night, then turned to Evanna. "You don't have to come with me. In fact, better if you don't. That would REALLY give them something to gossip about."

"You're okay?" asked Evanna, concerned for her friend.

"Yeah," nodded Bonnie, "just tired. I'll be better in the morning."

"I'll try not to wake you coming in."

But when Evanna returned that evening, Bonnie was moaning in the bed, sweat pouring off of her. She took Bonnie's hand and it seemed to calm her a little.

Suddenly she let out a loud scream and went rigid, before collapsing totally limp on the bed.

The nearest rooms were occupied by Dan, Rupert, Emma and Jeff, one of the computer effect technicians, who all had interviews the next morning about his work on the film. All four of them came running into the room together.

"What's happening?" Dan shouted when one of them finally managed to speak.

Evanna couldn't answer, she was in such a panic. She was sure this was effects of the cruciatus curse and she wished Ginny were here. Surely she'd know what to do.

A loud crack made her turn suddenly, then sigh with relief. "It's Bonnie," she began.

Ginny didn't need telling. "Oh, Merlin. I've got to get her to St. Mungo's." She flung herself over Bonnie's limp body and with another crack, they were both gone.

Evanna's "Let me know how..." was left hanging in the air as two of her best friends had disappeared.

She was left to face the shocked looks from the others.

"What just happened?" asked Rupert.

Evanna began to mumble something about tricks of the light. She knew it sounded feeble.

"Don't try to tell us that was a special effect," said the special effects guy.

She was grateful for the interruption as Matthew, James and Oliver came running in, both asking together, "What's going on?"

"Bonnie disappeared," said Emma.

"Bonnie?" replied James.

"But why would she run off?" asked Oliver.

"Not run off," said Emma.

"Disappeared," confirmed Dan.

"As in, one moment she was here, the next Ginny appeared out of nowhere, then they were both gone," Emma explained.

"Wicked," said the two twins together.

"But how?" added Matthew.

"We don't know," said Rupert.

"Evanna does," said Emma firmly.

"I... I..." mumbled Evanna.

"While we were all shocked and couldn't believe it, Evanna just looked relieved."

Evanna looked uncomfortable, not knowing what to say.

"Evanna?" asked Matthew.

"I can't say," cried Evanna, and then burst into tears.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Not far away another group was also in an animated discussion.

"So that damned film comes out soon. What are we doing to do about it?"

"What can we do?"

"Nothing. They've won."

"And now that... Potter... is a hero, along with all those blood traitors. I won't have it."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Me? We. We are going to make sure they don't get to enjoy it."

"Don't forget the mudblood."

"I won't forget her, don't worry. Not her, nor Potter's blood traitor bitch, nor the muggles that helped them. No. I won't forget any of them. You can be sure of that."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"What are you doing to her?" screamed Ginny as she watched another blue flash cause Bonnie's body to tense and relax suddenly.

"Restarting her heart. Keep back."

Another blue flash, then the mediwitch seemed to relax. "She should be okay now."

"What did you do?"

"A variation on a muggle technique, that's all. But what caused this collapse?"

"I don't know. I didn't have time to find out."

"We need to know if we're going to help her."

"I'll find out."

Ginny ran back to the entrance hall of the hospital, the only part of the hospital it was possible to apparate from, and ran straight into Ron and Hermione.

"What's going on?"

"Bonnie's hurt. She's upstairs."

"How?"

"I brought her. I've got to go back. The mediwitches want to know why she collapsed."

"We'll go with you," said Ron.

"But we ought to apparate nearby and enter normally, in case anyone sees," said Hermione.

"I, er... think it's a bit late for that, " Ginny admitted. "The room was full of people when I got Bonnie away."

"What have you done?" cried Ron.

"I didn't think."

"You never do."

"She was worried about Bonnie," said Hermione, defending her. "Let's go."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They appeared in the bathroom attached to Bonnie and Evanna's room. They could hear arguing.

"But we have to tell someone."

"You can't."

"Why won't you tell us what happened? How did Ginny appear like that?" asked Emma. "And how did they disappear into thin air? It just isn't possible."

The bathroom door opened and Hermione stepped out. "Given what you apparently saw, I'd say that statement needs a rethink."

At the look of relief on Evanna's face, Ginny ran to hug her.

Emma was still looking at Hermione. "Who are you?"

Rob sniggered slightly. "She's you. Or to be more accurate, you're her."

Ginny and Hermione both rolled their eyes.

"Ron, you're not helping," said Hermione. "Are you okay, Evanna?"

"Yes. How's Bonnie?"

"They think she'll be okay," answered Ginny. "But they want to know what made her collapse like that."

"I don't know. I think she was having another nightmare and she just went rigid."

Ginny turned to Hermione and Ron. "I have to go and let them know at the hospital."

"Okay."

Ginny walked into the bathroom and there was a slight cracking sound. Rupert ran into the bathroom, which was now empty. "She's gone. How? Who are you people?"

"And what have you done with Bonnie?" asked Matthew. "If you've done anything to her, I'll..."

Evanna giggled, until Ron took out his wand.

"Ron! What are you doing?" snapped Hermione.

"Obliviating them. The same as always. What?" he added looking at her frowning face.

"I suppose I knew you had to do that, part of your job and everything. But I just don't like it."

"It doesn't do any harm. They don't know anything afterwards."

"But what gives wizards the right to interfere with muggles' memories?" she protested.

"It's necessary. To keep our world secret. And it's the way it's always been done."

"So wizards decide what's best for everyone else. And what anyone else thinks doesn't matter."

"Like house elves you mean?"

Hermione's growing anger subsided a little. "Touché! Okay. I admit. I shouldn't have tried to force them to be free. But the way wizards have treated other species..."

The others in the room looked from one to another as this verbal battle continued, until there was a cracking sound from the bathroom.

"What's going on?" asked Ginny, not noticing the stunned look on Matthew's face.

"They're arguing about house elves," explained Evanna.

"Oh. Again? Still?"

Evanna nodded.

"Ron. Hermione. Listen to me," Ginny said loudly. "You're both right and you're both wrong."

"Huh?"

"Ron. You know how wizards have treated elves for centuries has been wrong. Don't pretend you don't think that. And Hermione, you know that forcing your ideas on elves whether they want it or not is little better. Education is one thing. But you can teach them about freedom, but you have to leave them free to choose it, or it isn't freedom."

Hermione had the grace to look ashamed. "When did you suddenly get so wise?"

"I had a lot of time to think, while you three were off saving the world. Especially when I was hidden away being useless. There wasn't much else to do."

"Somebody tell us what's going on. Who are these two?" demanded Dan.

"Later, Dan," snapped Evanna. "Ginny. How's Bonnie?"

Ginny's face fell.

"Ginny?"

"She's okay, for now. They think she'll come round soon."

"Why do I get the feeling there's a but coming?" said Emma.

Ginny sighed. "Every time she relieves that memory, it could give a shock to her system like that. Evanna. If you hadn't been here..."

"Memory?" That was Emma.

Ginny ignored the question. "Evanna. It means that someone has to be with her all the time who can call us if it happens again."

"Why do you think we share a room?" Evanna explained. The look on the boys faces gave her a few ideas on that. "No, thank you very much. And yes, we knew that's what everyone thought."

"Is she like that a lot?" asked Ginny.

"Quite often. Normally her parents wake her up sooner. So do I, but I wasn't here. I should have come up with her. I nearly killed her didn't I?"

"No!" Ginny nearly shouted. "If it's anyone's fault it's mine. I shouldn't have got close to her, or you."

"Ginny," said Hermione quietly. "We've been over this. You've been spending too much time with Harry. You don't have to blame yourself for everything someone else does."

"But..."

"Or perhaps you'd prefer to have been able to protect Bonnie and have us all at war right now?" added Ron.

"No. But it's so unfair."

Ron turned to Hermione. "You see why I have to obliviate them? It's safer for them."

"Ginny. Did the mediwitches say this could happen again?"

She nodded miserably. "It's almost certain. The nightmares are so powerful. And if someone doesn't wake her in time or get her to St. Mungo's if they can't wake her..." At that point Ginny did something she was still proud she rarely did. She broke down in tears.

Hermione hugged her tightly. "It's okay. You don't have to be ashamed for caring about someone." She blinked a few tears from her own eyes.

All this time the others stood around not knowing what to make of what was going on.

Emma turned to Evanna. "Can someone please explain?"

Evanna looked at Hermione in a panic. Hermione glanced at Ron, who said nothing.

"There's no easy way to say this. To put it simply, everything in the seven books is true. This is Ginny, but her real surname is Ginny Weasley. This is her brother Ron and I'm Hermione Granger."

"But not for long," said Ron proudly.

Hermione had to laugh. "No. Not for long."

"You are kidding, right?" said Rupert.

"No. They're not," said Jeff, the effects technician, who had remained silent to that point. "When Ginny was staying with Evanna and Bonnie during filming and their trailer burned. It wasn't normal fire. Nothing could put it out. We tried, when we thought you were in there. Afterwards everyone said it was fire used by the SFX department, but we knew it wasn't."

"SFX?" asked Ron.

"Special effects. We were so relieved when we found out you weren't in there," he added to Evanna.

"Actually, we were," she replied. "Ginny got us out, the same way she made Bonnie disappear earlier."

"And there were other times, strange noises like little explosions, like when Ginny went into the bathroom and disappeared just now. Put down to effects again, but they weren't. And people being bumped into by someone, but when they looked there was nobody there."

Evanna giggled.

"What?" Asked Hermione.

"Luna wasn't as used to the invisibility cloak as Harry. She used to bump into people, especially if we went snooping around together. It was fun making people jump like that. We even sneaked food out of the kitchens a few times. But Luna said we couldn't take much or people would get suspicious and think Ron was there."

Hermione laughed at that, while Ron looked mildly annoyed.

"Luna knows you too well, Ron," laughed Hermione.

"I just get hungry," he protested.

"We know," giggled Ginny.

Determined to get back to the point, Emma asked, "So you're trying to tell us all this stuff about wizards an' stuff is true?"

"Yes," answered Evanna.

"But what has this got to do with Bonnie?"

"And why did Ginny have to take her away?" added Rupert.

"You're as bad as me," laughed Hermione. "Won't let anyone avoid the subject for long."

"Yeah," laughed Ginny.

"Though I hear you think you're not as annoying," said Hermione smoothly.

Emma reddened at the memory of that interview. Hermione saved her embarrassment by saying, "It's okay. I probably was. And to answer your question... Oh hold on, we should have done this before." She took out her wand, pointed it at the door and said quietly, "Muffliato."

She put her wand away. "Now nobody can hear us," she explained. "Yes, all this stuff about wizards and witches is true. I'm not saying everything in the books is exactly as it was, but basically it's a true story. Our true story."

"You mean there really is a Harry Potter?" Dan asked.

Ginny smiled. "Yes. There really is." She brought up her hand to show a ring.

"That's beautiful," exclaimed Emma. "What an unusual stone?"

"That was Harry's idea. He took a black onyx stone and a bright red ruby from Afganistan, and as the onyx is softer, he embedded them both inside a diamond."

"That's impossible," objected Emma.

"Not for Harry," shrugged Ginny.

This time it was Rupert to get them back on the subject. "If you girls can forget jewellery for a minute, I still don't see what all this has to do with Bonnie."

"After the war, we found out Umbridge was taking control of the filming of film seven," explained Hermione. "She was making small changes at first, causing accidents..:"

"I remember," said Jeff. "The SFX department got the blame for some of them."

"Harry and Ginny came to investigate what was going on. Ginny, as you know, got a job with you all. Harry stayed around using the invisibility cloak."

"The trouble was," added Ginny, "that Evanna somehow knew who I was straightaway. Then when we were trapped by the fire, I had to apparate away with her and Bonnie, so they both knew."

"We'd be dead if it wasn't for Ginny," said Evanna.

"Then Ron and the other aurors found out that Umbridge was trying to kill Bonnie, to make an excuse to change the ending, so Voldemort would win."

"Actually we didn't know all that," objected Ron.

"I'm cutting a long story short," snapped Hermione. "She arranged death-eater attacks to make Voldemort's return believable, and after the film came out would have caused a war between muggles and wizards, to force wizards to defeat the muggles and rule over them."

"So what stopped her?" asked Emma.

"Bonnie," said Ginny simply.

"Bonnie? How?" exclaimed Dan.

"That's not quite the whole story," said Hermione. "Umbridge had caught Harry by surprise and disarmed him and had him trapped..."

"But that would have made her mistress of the Elder wand..." exclaimed Emma.

Hermione looked at her with some admiration. "You know, nobody else realised that, apart from Umbridge and Harry, of course. Perhaps we should have had you with us in year seven."

Emma smiled, though slightly embarrassed at the praise.

"Anyhow. Bonnie interrupted them. Umbridge thought she was Ginny, and put her under the cruciatus curse, to torture her into insanity in front of Harry. Then Ginny apparated into the room and disarmed Umbridge. Bonnie was in St. Mungo's but Ginny had to play Bonnie playing Ginny for some of the final scenes."

"So that explains it," said Jeff.

"Explains what?" asked Ginny.

"I'm going out with one of the make-up girls," he explained. "And she said it was funny that Bonnie's skin and hair texture was a bit different in the last scenes, so she had to change the make-up she was using."

"So what happened to Bonnie?" asked Rupert.

"She was released, and she's okay most of the time. But she gets terrible nightmares about Umbridge," said Evanna. "But I never realised they were actually dangerous."

"Look," said Emma. "I know you want to make us forget, use the oblimate charm..."

"Obliviate," corrected Hermione.

"Sorry, obliviate charm on us. But if we know, can't we all look after Bonnie? The way things are going over the release of the final film, we're all going to be around her for months. If she has a relapse, we can call you."

"She's making sense, Ron."

He sighed. "Kingsley's going to kill me, you know?"

"Don't worry, little brother," said Ginny, hugging the brother who towered over her, "I'll protect you."

Everyone laughed at that.

Not to forget a single thing, Emma asked, "So, Ginny. You're now mistress of the Elder wand?"

"No," she admitted, a shadow crossing her face. "Harry made sure of that."

"He drugged her," explained Hermione, "then had a retired auror attack and disarm her, even though he didn't know why. When the auror died, the Elder wand's power was broken forever."

"He attacked Ginny just because Harry asked him to? Without knowing why?" exclaimed Rupert.

"You'd have to know Harry," explained Evanna. "He just makes you want to follow him. The way everyone looked at him at Hogwarts, it was like he was a god."

"You've been to Hogwarts?" cried Emma and the next hour was spent with the others badgering Evanna to tell them all about Hogwarts. Hermione, Ron and Ginny slipped away, almost unnoticed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Deatheaters' revenge, chapter two. **

**Disclaimer:-**

**It all belongs to ME you hear? Yeah right. To anyone who has been on another planet since 1997, this is just to let you know that Harry Potter belongs to J.K.Rowling, her various publishers and Warner Brothers.**

**Am I J.K.Rowling or Warner Brothers? Well, I don't have highly paid lawyers to threaten fans in India for making Harry Potter themed carnival floats, nor threaten fan-sites (until the bad publicity put them off), nor get far reaching unprecedented (and probably illegal) injunctions from the UK high court which have now led to a major threat against civil liberties as other courts followed that precedent to stop legitimate and legal protests, all in the name of protecting their billions of dollars. So I guess Harry Potter doesn't belong to me.**

**Author's note...**

**After Ginny had stopped Umbridge's plan to force the wizarding world into a war with the muggles Bonnie had continued to suffer nightmares following the cruciatus curse.**

**As Ginny rushed her to St. Mungo's and then had to help Hermione explain to others from the cast of the films that their world was real, they didn't know that other plans were afoot, which would soon affect their lives.**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Back at St. Mungo's Ron and Hermione were arguing again. "Explain to me again why we just left them like that? They haven't even agreed not to tell anyone."

"Ron. What if they do? Nobody's going to believe them. They'll put it down to a publicity stunt."

"Hmm. I'm not so sure. Why wouldn't they believe them?"

"Hermione's right," said Ginny. "You haven't lived with muggles. They don't believe anything they can't explain. You should see how they make fun of anyone who believes in ghost or UOFs."

"UFOs," corrected Hermione.

"What are UFOs?" asked Ron.

"Unidentified Flying Objects. People who see them think they are ships with aliens from outer space. Other say they are imagining things or it's a trick of the light."

"There are really aliens from outer space?"

"Oh, Ron. I don't know. Ginny's just pointing out that they just make fun of anyone who believes in something they don't. So you don't have to worry."

"Don't mind me, you two," said Ginny. "I'll leave you to your arguing while I go see how Bonnie is."

"We'll come with you," said Ron.

They raced up the stairs and it took Ron flashing his auror identification to get them past the mediwitch, who had told them visiting hours were over.

"Is she still unconscious?" Ginny asked the mediwitch.

"No. She came round slightly, but we gave her a sleeping potion. She'll sleep till the morning at least."

"Thank you," said Hermione. "We'll come back to see her then."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So who's first?"

"I'd like to get that blood traitor, Weasley."

"Which one?"

"The auror. The one who led the hunt for us. The one who's responsible for me having to go into hiding like a common criminal."

"So he's first then?"

"No. Too well protected. And anyway, I want to hurt him. By the time I kill him, I want him to beg me to do it."

"But if you can't even get him?"

"Don't worry. I know exactly what I'm going to do."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"We can't talk about it here," insisted Emma.

Rupert and Matthew had begun to talk about the wizarding world in the hotel lounge.

"Yes we can," Dan pointed out. "Nobody's going to know we aren't chatting about the films, are they?"

"Just nothing too specific then," warned Emma.

"That's okay," laughed Matthew. "Evanna can tell us more about Hogwarts."

"Oh not again. You had me up half the night telling you about that."

"Consider it your punishment, for going off and having adventures without us," laughed Jeff, who had quickly become part of the group since the night before.

Their laughter was cut off by a commotion outside the lounge as a harassed security guard burst through. "I apologise. I tried to keep them out, but they pushed through."

"It's okay," said Emma. "They're friends of ours."

"Oh. Okay. Well, please ask them to carry their passes in future."

"We will. I'm sorry for the bother."

"Sorry about that," said Hermione. "We apparated into the hotel, but they wouldn't let us into the lounge where you all were."

"How's Bonnie?" asked Evanna.

"She's okay," said Ginny. "We brought her with us. We made her rest on her bed for the rest of today. She's still very tired."

"You think?" asked Rupert, looking amused.

Ginny looked around to see Bonnie walking into the room.

"Bonnie. We told you to rest," warned Hermione.

"If you think I'm staying in bed upstairs while you're all talking about me downstairs, you've got another think coming."

"What makes you think we were talking about you?" asked Ginny with a grin.

Her line was spoiled slightly by Evanna and Emma, who had both run to Bonnie to hug her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she cried. "Or I will be if you don't hug me to death."

"I'm really glad you're back," said Evanna.

"Yeah," laughed Dan. "Now we've got two of you to interrogate about Hogwarts."

"Don't you dare," said Hermione. "She needs quiet. I mean it. If she gets overtired it could bring on another attack."

"And the only reason Ron didn't obliviate you all is that we persuaded him you could help Bonnie."

"Help me how?"

"I had to tell them about your nightmares," admitted Evanna.

"And they've agreed to help Evanna look after you."

"I don't need looking after;" protested Bonnie.

"Bonnie," said Hermione patiently. "You and Ginny stopped a war. As far as I can find out, you are probably the first muggle to even survive being put under a cruciatus curse. Don't be afraid of letting people help you."

"Hey! You're the girl who lived," laughed Ginny.

"Ron and I spent years persuading Harry that he didn't have to do everything alone," commented Hermione. "Don't make us do the same with you."

"Bonnie," said Emma, quietly. "From what we've been told, I can't even imagine what that bitch put you through. We all want you to know, we're here for you, as long as you need us."

Bonnie nodded.

"Now," said Hermione. "Ginny, you'll have to give the others whatever you gave Evanna to contact you."

"I didn't give her anything."

"Then how did she call you?"

"I don't know. Evanna?"

Evanna shook her head. "I don't know. I was just thinking, wishing Ginny was there to help, and then she was."

"Ginny?"

"I just knew Bonnie needed help. It was like I heard Evanna screaming for me."

"Hmm," said Hermione. "I wonder how?"

"Remember. Evanna knew who I was the moment she saw me. At the time I wondered if she was magical. After then things got chaotic and I forgot all about it."

"Me? Magical? You've got to be kidding;" laughed Evanna.

"Well, you managed to put a thought into Ginny's mind," said Hermione. "We'll have to investigate that later."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I see hours in a library coming up."

Evanna laughed.

Hermione tried to look offended, but nobody was fooled for a minute. "Okay. Then we need a way for whoever is with Bonnie to get help quickly if you can't wake her up."

"Medallions?" suggested Ginny. "Like we had in the D.A.?"

"No good. You have to be magical to write on them."

"Can't you give us all portkeys?" asked Emma.

"No," said Ginny, "the moment you touch them, you'd be taken off wherever."

"Not necessarily," said Hermione. "I could make one that's only activated if you say an activation phrase."

"You're going to give them all port-keys?" asked Ginny.

"No. Just Bonnie. Whoever's with her can put Bonnie's hand on the key and say something like 'St. Mungo's now' and Bonnie will be taken to the hospital."

"They'll have to go with her. You can't have Bonnie just dumped in the waiting room," Ginny pointed out.

"Thanks," laughed Bonnie.

"Okay," agreed Hermione. "Whoever's with her will have to put their hand on the portkey as well."

"Can you do it?" asked Ginny.

"Of course I can," said Hermione, offended.

"I don't mean that. I mean, legally? Make a portkey, without permission. Then give it to a muggle, and have two muggles taken to St.Mungo's with it?"

"Well, I am in the Magical Law Enforcement department. And my fiancé is a senior auror. And if anyone still objects, I think Harry would get away with it, don't you?"

"Personally I think any of you three could probably get away with breaking into Gringotts again if you wanted to."

Hermione laughed. "Well if I'm ever unemployed, I might think about it. But I could do without the dragon ride."

"Hermione hates flying," explained Ginny. "Even on broomsticks."

"Hermione," asked Jeff. "Can I tell one other person?"

"Why?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

"It's Dawn. The make-up girl. She'll know if I'd hiding something. And if Bonnie requests her as her personal make-up girl again, she can be with her when the rest of us can't. I don't know how I'm going to make her believe me though."

"Okay."

"Now you've organised me, I'm a bit tired," admitted Bonnie.

"Right, Bonnie. You go to bed. Ginny, stay with her until I get back with a portkey as you're the only one who can apparate her away." She turned to Jeff. "And your name is?"

"Jeff."

"Okay, Jeff. We'll go to Bonnie's bedroom and apparate to your girlfriend. Once she's convinced, I'll go back to see Harry and Ron and then make the portkey."

Ginny looked at Emma and said, "You were right. She IS bossy."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Two weeks later.

"She's being protected. Someone's with her at all times.And that's not all."

"What now?"

"We detected something magical. We think she's got a portkey."

"Then they know? They all know?"

"They must do."

"I'll get them all. Every last one of them."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Both Hermione and Ginny had insisted on visiting Bonnie as often as they could. Ginny, because Bonnie had become her friend, and Hermione as she was really the only one who could understand what it was like to be really tortured by the cruciatus curse.

"I know it sounds silly," she explained to Bonnie one day, "but train yourself to think of something really happy every time. The happiest memory you can think of."

"Like you do with a patronus?"

"Just like that. When Bellatrix was torturing me, I did that, and it really helped. I think it was probably the only thing that kept me going. And it definitely helps in nightmares."

"It's not easy."

"No," agreed Hermione. "It isn't. Get the others to remind you. The moment they wake you up. It helps it fade away quicker."

"Does it ever get better?"

"Yes," she assured her. "But if I'm honest, you had it worse than me. You had no magic to protect you."

"Don't feel guilty," Bonnie insisted.

"I know what Ginny means. You'd have been better off not knowing any of us."

"Actually, I can't imagine not knowing you all now. You know I still get owls sometimes from some of the girls at Hogwarts?"

"Just the girls?"

"Well, no actually. But you can't imagine the reaction of some hotels when they see owls flying in my window."

Despite herself, Hermione laughed.

"Yeah. I have to get the message off and shoo the owl away before hotel staff come to 'rescue me' from the stray bird. Half the time I don't even have time to write a reply."

"I didn't think you liked it at Hogwarts much."

"It was just lonely, being the only muggle after Evanna had gone. Watching everyone do things I'd never be able to do. And the way some of them took it for granted, like it was nothing."

"I know. If you're not muggleborn you don't realise how special it is, having magic."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The comparative peace of an autumn Friday was shattered by the loud sound of an alarm.

Ron called out, "Get a message to Hermione. I need her at St. Mungo's."

He ran to the nearest apparation point in the Ministry and appeared a millisecond later in the entrance hall of St. Mungo's. Mediwitches were standing around Bonnie. He forced his way through.

"Are you okay?" he asked Bonnie, who was crying. "Another nightmare? In the daytime?"

"Ron," she gasped out. "They hurt Dawn."

"Who? What? You're not hurt, right?"

"No, but."

"Okay. Wait." He turned to the mediwitches and said, "Thank you. Auror business. I'll take it from here." he turned back to Bonnie and said, "I'm taking you to the Ministry. We can talk safely there."

A minute later they were in his office. Hermione arrived only seconds after they did.

"Why did you bring her here?" she demanded.

"Shh. Let her speak. Bonnie. What's happened? Who hurt Dawn?"

"I don't know. I was resting. I had a disturbed night again. Someone apparated into the room. They wanted me. Before I knew what was happening, Dawn had grabbed my hand and put it on the portkey. Someone yelled something and Dawn went flying against the wall. Then before they could grab me, Dawn yelled out 'St. Mungo's now' and I was in St. Mungo's. You've got to help her."

Ron was already running out of the room. "Hermione. Tell Harry."

But when Ron apparated into Bonnie's hotel room, it was empty. Only a bloodstain on the wall showed she'd been there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Deatheaters' revenge, chapter three. **

**This was originally chapter two, but I decided that the last chapter of Ginny and the Muggles should really have been the first chapter of this story, so they've been renumbered. Don't worry I've uploaded the next chapter at the same time.**

**Disclaimer:-**

**News just out! Harry Potter belongs to J.K.Rowling, her various publishers and Warner Brothers. Anyone who didn't already know that should probably check into St. Mungo's right away – ask for the floor for spell damage as you've probably been subject to an Obliviate curse. The only things in this story which belong to me are the plot and any characters not found in JKR's books.**

**Author's note...**

**The deatheaters came to attack Bonnie, but thanks to Dawn, she escaped, but now Dawn has disappeared.**

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Ron had left the aurors checking for any clues that might be found at the scene, though he was sure that there wouldn't be any. He was not looking forward to the job he had to do next.

He walked rather than apparated to Jeff's room. Even the minute or two that gave him, put off the unpleasant task for a little.

"What is it?" Ron's face had given him away. "Some thing's happened to Bonnie?" asked Jeff.

Ron shook his head. "Bonnie was attacked, but she got away. She's fine. Dawn was with her. She put Bonnie's hand on the port key and said the words. Bonnie's safe."

"Then?"

"One of them had knocked Dawn away from the port key, but she went ahead and said the words anyway. Bonnie arrived in St. Mungo's alone."

"Dawn's not...?" Jeff couldn't finish the question.

"No," Ron assured him. Honesty made him add, "At least we don't think so."

"What do you mean, you don't think so?"

"We don't know, Jeff. When I got to the room, she'd disappeared." He decided not to mention the traces of blood on the wall. "We've got aurors checking everything, believe me, but we don't know where she is."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Arrathay, the leader of the remaining deatheaters, was furious. "I ask you to get that bitch who tricked Um bridge, and you bring me this?" He aimed a loose kick at the girl lying on the floor between them. "Who the hell is she?"

"We don't know. She was with the Wright girl."

"So she knows nothing. Just some random muggle. And just how is that going to help us? Why didn't you just obliviate her? Or kill her? Why bring her back to me?"

"She must know something. She activated the Wright girl's portkey."

"Oh." For the first time, he smiled. "Did she now? Enervate!" he commanded.

"She wasn't stunned," the other deatheater explained. "She just hit her head,"

"Damn. Well. Let me know when she comes round. I've some questions for a muggle that knows how to activate a portkey."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Bonnie was inconsolable. The moment Ron walked into the room, she flew at him. "You've got to find her," she begged, tearfully.

Ginny pulled her off.

"We're trying," Ron said. "But there's nothing to go on."

"Then try harder."

"They're doing everything they can," Hermione assured her.

"I know," sobbed Bonnie, "it's just..."

"Careful," said Ginny, hugging her closer, "don't go getting Harry Syndrome on us."

"Harry Syndrone?" Bonnie asked, curiosity overcoming the tears for a moment, then a slight smile came to her lips. "Oh. I see what you mean."

"I don't," said Ron.

"Ron," sighed an exasperated Hermione. "What's Harry's most notable characteristic?"

"His scar?"

"I mean emotional characteristic," she said patiently.

"Oh. Wanting to save everyone. Didn't you call it his hero complex?"

"Among other things," replied Hermione. "But I didn't mean that. What else does he do every time something happens to someone?"

Ginny couldn't help a grin as Ron's face changed like a light had been switched on. "You mean he blames himself for everything, even when it's not his fault."

"Well done, Ron," said Ginny cheerfully.

"Alright," he said crossly, going slightly red.

Hermione looked at Ginny and Bonnie and said in a loud stage whisper, "Boys."

"You didn't seem to mind me being one last night," Ron retorted, leaving Hermione the one going red.

** - -** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was nearly a week later that Ron flooed into the Burrow. Bonnie immediately looked up hopefully, but cast her eyes down when he shook his head slightly.

"Not a thing," Ron said with a note of frustration. "It's like she's disappeared off the face of the earth.

"I have to go back," said Bonnie.

"No," protested Ginny.

"I can't hide forever. Saying I've been ill has been fine for a short time, but..."

"How are we going to guard you?" said Ginny.

"You're not," insisted Bonnie. "I'm not having anyone else hurt or... worse, for me. I can take the portkey. I'll be okay."

Ron began to argue, but Ginny shook her head at him. Realising that Bonnie was determined enough that he wasn't going to win this argument, he said, "I'll ask Hermione if she knows a charm that can automatically activate the portkey if you are apparated or portkeyed away somewhere."

As usual Mrs Weasley insisted that Ron have something to eat before he went back to work, and, also as usual, Ron had no objection.

The fireplace suddenly came to life. "Hi, Mrs. Weasley. Is Ron there?" On being told yes, a few seconds later Hermione appeared.

"Ron. Jeff's been trying to call you all day on the cellphone I gave you."

"But I haven't turned it off," he protested, pulling it out to show her.

"The battery's dead, Ron. I gave you enough batteries to last a week, but you need to change them when the symbol on the screen tells you too."

"Okay, okay, but what did he want?"

Hermione struggled for a moment between continuing to lecture Ron on how to have a cellphone properly and telling the news she had. The news won.

"Dawn's been found. She's alive," she added quickly at the worried look from all the faces in the room.

"How is she? I want to see her," said Bonnie at once.

"Not good. She was badly beaten, Jeff said. A lot of bones broken. A lot of the time she's unconscious. The police have a guard outside her room in the hospital. Only family are allowed to visit. Jeff said it took ages for him to get permission to see her."

"Will she be...?"

"She's not in danger, Bonnie. It'll be okay."

"It's NOT okay."

"I'm going to have to interview her," said Ron. "If it's a muggle hospital I can apparate into her room, right?"

"I'll ask Jeff to find out if it's possible without being seen. If you change your batteries in the phone I'll ask him to call you when the coast is clear."

"The coast? What's that got to do with it?"

Hermione sighed. "It means, when it's possible to be there without anyone seeing you."

"Okay."

** - -** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So, I still don't understand."

"What don't you understand this time?"

"Why we let her go."

"I want them frightened," their leader explained patiently.

"So why didn't we at least crucio her into insanity?"

"Because, brainless, I want her to be able to tell them what we did to her. Every detail."

"Why?"

"I told you. The next time, I want to drive them crazy with worry. I'm going to enjoy my revenge, every little bit."

** - -** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was almost two days before Jeff called Ron to let him know that Dawn was conscious enough to see him. The police could see into her room, so Dawn had had to insist on some screens at the window so that she could have some privacy.

At the slight crack of apparition, the police ran into the room, but Ron was safely under Harry's invisibility cloak. Jeff was still siting in the chair.

When they were satisfied the area was still secure and left, Dawn tried to sit up a little.

"Hi, Ron. How's Bonnie?" Dawn asked him with difficulty. Her face was still badly swollen.

Ron couldn't help a smile in spite of gasping at the sight of her.

"Worried about you."

"I told them. I'm sorry."

"Told them what?"

"About the port key. I didn't want to, but they wouldn't stop hurting me... I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. They would have guessed about the port key the moment you activated it."

"Oh," her face relaxed a little.

"What else were they asking you?"

"Just who gave it to me. I told them it was you. I tried not to."

"Hmm. Surely they'd have guessed that anyway?"

"I don't know," she replied weakly. "Even after I told them, they just kept on punching and kicking me. I said I'd tell them anything, but they just laughed."

For the first time, he noticed a tear in her eye.

"Tell Bonnie, I'm sorry. I should have held out."

As Jeff grasped her hand, Ron told her, "You have nothing to be sorry for. She's alive and she's safe, thanks to you. Just think about that. You've told them nothing that has helped them at all."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. That's probably why they did all that to you, out of frustration. You did okay."

Dawn slumped back in the bed. "Good."

"You get some sleep."

"Hmm," she sighed. "It's all I seem to do now."

Ron turned to Jeff. "Look after her."

Jeff nodded. His face showed strain.

"And look after yourself too. When she's well enough to come out, she's going to need you."

"Okay," he replied, his voice filled with sadness.

"I'll get them, Jeff. I promise you. I'll get them."

** - -** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Despite Ron's promise, neither he nor any or his team had any lead on who Dawn's kidnappers and attackers were able to make any progress. She had been too badly beaten to be able to give them a usable description, in fact they had kept her blindfolded much of the time anyway.

There had been occasional attacks on muggles, though not as many as before, and sometimes there were attacks on wizarding targets as well.

Ron was furious with himself and his team that they were no further forward than at the start of the investigation. It took his mother and Hermione together to force him to stop working all hours and take time to sleep and eat.

Hermione couldn't help a slight smile at Ron not even wanting to take time to eat, but knowing how the worry was getting to him wiped the smile from her face.

"Ron, when you do find them..."

"If. We're not getting anywhere."

"When," she insisted. "When you do find them, you all need to be fit enough to take them down. If you work yourself ragged and your team ragged, you won't be. You all need to rest."

"But, I have to..."

"But nothing," snapped his mother. "Hermione's right. If you're not fit enough, they'll escape. Is that what you want?"

"Of course not," he said angrily.

"Then take the day off tomorrow, please?" begged Hermione.

He nodded in agreement.

To his surprise, his mother had packed them both a picnic lunch. "It's a lovely day. Go somewhere and enjoy it."

Hermione looked up in surprise. Even since they'd been engaged, Mrs. Weasley had seemed to do everything possible not to allow them, or Harry and Ginny, time alone together. Mr Weasley had told her that his wife had muttered something about being worried about "hormones".

If Hermione was surprised, that was nothing to Ron's reaction. He pulled out his wand saying, "Who are you and what have you done with my mother?" before laughing out loud.

A warm feeling went through Hermione at the sound of Ron's laugh. It seemed an age since she'd heard him laugh.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at Hermione as if she could read her thoughts. "Take him somewhere nice and peaceful..."

"But what if I'm needed?" Ron protested.

"Your team can handle it," insisted Hermione. "And if they can't, there's always Harry."

Ron turned to his mother. "He's worse than me, you know. You'll have to get Ginny to get him away on their own as well."

His mother's face reddened slightly. "Go. Before I change my mind and get you in the garden. I think there's a few gnomes we need to get rid of."

Hermione grinned. "We're gone."

"Look after him Hermione."

"I will."

"You should be telling ME to look after Hermione," Ron protested.

"NO," said both his mother and Hermione firmly.

Before Ron could say anything else, Hermione took his hand and they apparated away.

"Where are we?"

"It doesn't matter. It's quiet. There's nobody here but us." To Ron's shock, Hermione began undressing.

Amused but satisfied at his stunned look, Hermione grinned, "It's only a bikini, Ron. Lot's of girls wear them at the beach. I've packed some swimming trunks for you in the bag."

"In front of everyone?"

"Oh, Ron. You're so Victorian sometimes?"

"Victorian?"

"Old fashioned. I mean a lot of girls only wear a thong."

"What's a thong?"

"It's like... a very thin bit of material at the back." She turned round, and pulled the back of her bikini together. "Some only have like a string at the back."

Ron snorted.

"And a lot of girls go topless too. That's without this bit," she explained. "Do you want me to show you that as well?"

Before he could answer she ran to the edge of the sea and began splashing around. "Get your trunks on and come in. The water's lovely."

He quickly found them. "She wants me to wear these?" he thought. "There's nothing to them." Actually they were pretty standard swimming trunks. He changed quickly and ran to join her.

Seeing her looking at him made him suddenly shy as he realised how little they covered.

Seeing his embarrassment, Hermione immediately began splashing him and they had a splashing fight for a while.

Almost out of breath, Hermione said, "Let's rest a while." She hugged him to her and could feel him against her.

"Hermione!" her protested. "I can't come out of the water now."

"Even if I promise to show you how some girls wear this?"

"You mean top... whatever."

"Topless," she corrected.

"You're not helping," he replied.

To his shock, she put her hand down and touched him. "It's only natural, Ron," she told him as he gasped.

She ran out of the water, Ron following her. She turned to him and undid the top of her bikini.

"You don't have to," he said, looking at her face, which suddenly looked uncertain.

She looked at him. "They're not very..." she said as the material fell away.

His eyes flickered downwards for a moment, they went back to her face. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

Hermione let out a sigh of relief, suddenly aware that she'd been holding her breath waiting for his reaction.

She turned to her bag and pulled out a pair of large towels and spread them out on the grass.

As they lay together she told him, "You can touch me, you know."

Ron began stroking her arm. It was nice, but frustrating.

He seemed hesitant to go further. Finally she grabbed his hand and put it on her breast. As he gasped with shock, she moved her hand down to firmly grasp his erection.

"Ron. I love you. I'm yours. All of me."

"You mean?"

"Ron," she said in an exasperated tone.

Finally he got the message and leaned over to silence her with a kiss. A long kiss.

She thought it would never end and that she never wanted it to end, but then her cellphone rang.

"No," she moaned angrily. "I knew I shouldn't have brought it."

Ron moved off of her as she answered it.

"Hello?" She was unable to keep the irritation out of her voice. Then it changed. "We'll be right there. Ron. Diagon alley's been attacked."

Ron was pulling on his clothes, ignoring the wet sand on his trunks.

"And Ron. Ginny's missing."

Author's note. Sorry this has been so long. I had real writer's block. Depression does that to you. I finally unblocked myself by starting another story. It's called "Prophecy Repeated" if you want to check it out.

Brian


	4. Chapter 4

**Deatheaters' revenge, chapter four. **

**Disclaimer:-**

**Harry Potter belongs to J.K.Rowling, her various publishers and Warner Brothers. The only things in this story which belong to me are the plot and any characters not found in JKR's books.**

**Author's note...**

**Although she has been found, badly beaten but alive, the investigation into Dawn's kidnapping has got nowhere. Now Diagon Alley has been attacked and Ginny is missing.**

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

When Ron and Hermione arrived in Diagon Alley the aurors were already checking for any clues .

The auror in charge looked worried as he approached Ron, "Sorry, sir, but I can't let..."

Ron looked ready to snap but Hermione answered, "We understand, don't we, Ron?"

Unable to answer for a moment, he nodded briefly, then took a breath. "Where's Harry?"

"Over there. We almost had to stun him."

"I'll go with him."

They walked across to where Harry was sitting, obviously being watched by a somewhat wary auror. Ron tapped the auror on the shoulder. "It's okay. You can go now."

"They won't let me help..." Harry began.

"Nor me," said Ron. "And you know why. I know it's hard, Harry. I want to hunt through this lot as well. But hunting for clues when you're angry and frightened isn't exactly a good idea."

"But..."

"They won't miss anything, Harry. If there's anything to find, they'll find it. And if we do it, when we do get the bastards that did this, that evidence won't be worth a thing in court."

"I don't care."

"No. Not now. But you will. Harry, as hard as it is, we have to let the others do their job."

Harry look defeated.

"Let's get back to the Burrow, mate. I'll have the team leader brief us on anything they find."

Hermione took Harry's hand. "Ron, wait here. I'm not having you apparate on your own." Ron watched Harry and Hermione disappear, then a few minutes later Hermione reappeared, alone. She reached for his hand.

"Thanks."

"What for?"

"For stopping me blowing up. They'd have had to stun me otherwise."

Hermione just smiled slightly, took his hand and they were gone.

The moment they were in the Burrow, of course they'd had to walk the last little bit due to the shields, Ron looked around. "I'd expected George to be here," he commented.

"He flooed," replied his father. "He's giving a statement to the aurors. From what I can gather, Ginny was in the shop and they came in and portkeyed her away before George could react."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Ginny never knew she could suffer such pain and still live. Even after they'd stopped the curse the pain stayed for ages. When she could move, she looked around at the room she was in. It had obviously been nice once, it could easily have been in a luxury hotel.

She tried to stand, but fell to the floor. So she crawled to the bathroom, which opened off of the room and dragged herself up to the sink.

She couldn't help a gasp as she caught sight of her face. It was beaten and bloody. Although she couldn't remember it, obviously they hadn't stuck to the cruciatus curse.

She heard a noise behind her, but she was too slow to react and someone grabbed her hair and pulled her backwards out of the bathroom, throwing her on the floor.

"Ready for another round of what you did to Umbridge, you blood traitor?"

She opened her mouth to answer only to be kicked in the face. The pain that shot through her was quickly eclipsed as she heard the word "Crucio."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

The next few days were an agony for the Weasleys as they waited, unable to do anything. Ron had questioned Dawn over and over again for any details she might have spotted, until Hermione had stopped him.

George was wandering around looking guilty until Harry reminded him, "As Ginny would say, that's my job. Feeling guilty for something that's not your fault, that is," he'd added at the blank look on George's face.

Hermione had badgered Ron into letting her see every bit of evidence they had, which wasn't much.

Still, as with Dawn's capture before, they were getting nowhere.

The first possibility of a breakthrough came from an unexpected source. Luna had come walking into the Burrow one afternoon, "I've been thinking about Ginny," she said.

Mrs. Weasley looked up patiently. Strange or not, Luna had proved to be a true friend. Hermione, who was spending a lot of time at the Burrow since Ginny's disappearance hadn't even looked up at all. She was going through reports of every raid, hoping for a clue.

"I think I may have an idea," continued Luna.

Both women suddenly looked at her directly, if somewhat doubtfully.

"Why not ask Evanna?"

"Evanna?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Ginny knew when Evanna needed her for Bonnie. And she knew who Ginny was the first time they met. Maybe they have a soul-bond."

Hermione looked puzzled.

"No, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, sadly, "Soul bonds are between married couples, and even then they are rare."

"Maybe not a soul bond, but they do have some kind of connection," said Hermione.

"Anything's worth a try," agreed Mrs. Weasley.

The next day Evanna had joined them at the Burrow and was desperately trying to concentrate on making any sort of connection to Ginny. She was getting tired. It had been nearly all day and she'd only stopped when Mrs. Weasley stopped her to make her have a short rest or something to eat.

When Evanna burst into tears with frustration, Hermione said, "It's no good. Either the connection isn't strong enough, or we don't know how to do it. And I don't know anyone who does."

"Trelawney," said Ron, unexpectedly.

"Huh?"

"She talked about bonds in our sixth year."

"That old fraud?" retorted Hermione.

"Okay, but knew about divination even if she couldn't do it, except for those prophecies. Suppose she knows about bonds?"

"It's worth a try," said Hermione doubtfully. "I don't want to be the one to ask her though. She didn't like me much."

"I will," said Harry.

"No," said Ron. "I'm not sure she's ever forgiven you for not dying the hundreds of ways she kept saying you would. I'll go. She quite liked me. Never figured out that I only took her NEWT class as an easy option."

After a discussion with Professor McGonagall it was decided that Ron would take Evanna to Hogwarts to study with Professor Trelawney.

Meanwhile, Hermione went to Diagon Alley to look for books on the subject. It took her nearly all day, hunting for books that might help. As she left, the door banged into her and sent her books flying. She picked them up and walked away, but heard someone say, "You missed one, my dear." Instinctively she reached for the book held out to her and felt a sudden tug at her navel.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

"Just empty your mind, empty your mind..." Ron felt more and more hopeless every time he heard Trelawney's chant. He asked himself, How could he be pinning his sister's life on this rubbish? Because you've got nothing else to go on, he answered himself.

The day with Trelawney hadn't been any more successful than the previous day, but both the professor and Evanna had insisted on keeping trying until it was late into the evening.

Finally they flooed back to the Burrow, where Mrs. Weasley had insisted that Evanna stay for a while.

"Hermione not back yet?" Ron asked.

"No, we thought she'd gone to see you," said Mrs. Weasley. "The shops shut hours ago."

A frantic half hour had Ron checking everywhere he could think of, including Hermione's parent's house. Finally he returned to the Burrow. "She's disappeared," he said to his mother.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Although initially bewildered, the moment Hermione realised what had happened she determined to try to keep her calm and keep her eyes open.

When she saw the house moments before she landed she knew she'd seen it before. If only she could think of where.

But the thud of hitting the ground hard followed by being grabbed unceremoniously by the arm and dragged into the house put that out of her mind for a while.

She was pulled up the stairs and saw a door opened in front of her. She was pushed roughly through it and it slammed behind her as she fell to the floor.

Hermione immediately got up to look around and saw, on the bed, "Ginny! Oh Merlin! Are you okay?" then felt like kicking herself as it was only too obvious that she wasn't anywhere near okay.

"Hermy?" Ginny mumbled weakly, struggling to turn her head.

Hermione moved to where Ginny could see her easily.

"Am I dead?" she asked in a slightly stronger voice.

"No."

"Is George...?"

"He's okay," Hermione reassured her. "Worried about you. We all were."

"Are you here to rescue me?"

"No." At the look of almost despair on the other girl's face, she added, "I'm sorry. They caught me too."

"Oh." Ginny seemed to loose heart at that and appeared to go back to sleep. Hermione didn't disturb her.

As it got darker outside, Hermione knew she should try to sleep as well, but sleep wouldn't come. She thought of how frantic Ron would be now, with both of them gone. The thought that she might never see him again began to overwhelm her and she broke down and cried. She couldn't seem to stop and finally cried herself to sleep.

She was rudely awoken as the door slammed open. Two men came in, one with a camara. The other yelled, "Get up, you blood traitor vermin. It's time to have your photo taken."

Ginny, who'd been woken by the door slamming, began to sit up. She struggled to open her eyes to see as they were swollen and bruised.

"Crucio!"

Ginny's body rocked with the sudden pain.

Hermione screamed, "Leave her alone!"

"Ah the pathetic mudblood wants to be a hero. Crucio."

This time it was Hermione's body that contorted under the effects of the curse. Her initial determination not to scream and give them the satisfaction lasted about ten seconds as it got worse.

Finally it stopped. A hand struck her and she fell back against the dressing table.

"I saw your books. So the blood traitor and his mudblood slut want a soul bond do you?"

Hermione was about to say no, when she thought better of it. Best not to let them know what they were trying to do. She couldn't believe that she'd forgotten it since her capture.

"Answer me, you piece of filth. That's for real wizards and witches, not trash like you."

Whatever answer Hermione may have given was lost in her scream as he shouted "Crucio" once more.

"I've got enough," said the other. "You might want to bloody her up a bit, though."

Hermione looked up slightly and saw a fist come towards her, she was sure her nose broke as blood flew everywhere and she knew no more.

She came round to Ginny's concerned face above her. "Thank Merlin! Are you okay? Silly question."

"Why were taking photos?"

"To send to Harry and Ron."

Hermione gasped. "They'll go crazy."

"I think that's the idea," said Ginny sadly.

"We have to get out of here."

Ginny snorted.

"I mean it. Muffliato. Now they can't hear us."

"You have an idea?"

"Actually, it was Luna's idea," Hermione admitted. "You knew when Evanna needed you when Bonnie was bad, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Luna thinks there might be some kind of bond between you, that's why Evanna knew who you were when she first met you. Evanna's doing exercises to try to hear you. You have to try to reach her."

"How?"

"When you heard Evanna, she was just thinking she desperately needed you. Try the same. Really concentrate."

"Will this tell her where we are?"

"I don't think so, unless you can think it really hard."

"We don't know where we are."

"Yeah," sighed Hermione. "I got a good look at the house as I landed and I know I've seen it before, but I can't think where."

Hermione spent the rest of the day trying to remember everywhere she'd ever been. Where had she seen the house before? She even tried thinking of houses in wizarding books she'd read and got nowhere.

She jumped as a slight cracking sound told them someone had apparated into the room.

"It's only the house elf," said Ginny. "With food."

"Not for her," said the elf. "Master said mudbloods don't deserve food."

"It's okay Ginny."

"No it's not. We'll share it. Not that there's much to share." She tried to hand Hermione some of the stale loaf.

"Ginny, you need it more than I do. I've only just got here."

Ginny put it down. "Fine. If you won't eat, I won't."

"Stop being childish," said Hermione, but took some anyway. As she brought it to her mouth, it disappeared.

"Not for the mudblood," said the elf with a grin. Another flick of his fingers and the rest of the loaf disappeared and then he was gone.

They didn't see anyone else for the rest of that day. The night was a cold night and they quickly decided to huddle together on the bed for warmth. They slept fitfully until Hermione woke up with a shout. "I've got it."

"Huh? What?"

"I know where we are. It's the Riddle house. I saw it in the pensieve. That's why I didn't think of it before."

Before Ginny could answer the two men had apparated into the room and demanded to know, "What's the disturbance?"

"J..J..ust a nightmare," stammered Hermione.

"Nightmare?" one laughed. "Try this." Before they knew it there were under the cruciatus curse yet again.

When it was over and they were alone again, Hermione told Ginny, "Now, think hard, Riddle house."

Ginny tried to concentrate. "I can't even think," she gasped. "My head hurts so much. I think I'm going mad."

Seeing tears of frustration in Ginny's eyes, Hermione replied, "It's okay. We'll think of something. We will. I promise."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

That evening, a Ministry owl dropped a package at the burrow, then turned and left without waiting for a treat or a reply.

As Molly picked it up, the wrapping burned away, leaving all the photos to fall to the floor.

Molly gasped at the sight of her daughter silently screaming in agony. Unable to help herself she looked through the rest and saw Hermione being tortured as well and the punch that split her nose and laid her out.

In a choked voice, she called, "Arthur. Arthur. We need to get Ron and Harry."

**Author's note...**

**Sorry this chapter took so long, being overtired doesn't help the creative juices flow. At the moment I work for an American outsourcing company and I've had to work 6 nights a week, which with travelling is 12 hours a night. My one night off has been spent recovering.**

**Fortunately they are finally going to change our shifts to 5 nights a week (slightly longer hours). Hopefully I'll have a little more energy to write, though I'll probably be working extra hours over Christmas and New Year.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Deatheaters' revenge, chapter five. **

**Disclaimer:-**

**Harry Potter belongs to J.K.Rowling, her various publishers and Warner Brothers. The only things in this story which belong to me are the plot and any characters not found in JKR's books.**

**Author's note...**

**Sorry for the long delay. As I said at the end of the last chapter I've been working extra hours over Christmas and New Year. Even worse, my computer died on me, so I've been unable to do ANYTHING for weeks. Very frustrating for me too.**

**RECAP.**

**Hermione has now been captured and is being held alongside Ginny...**

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Hermione had suggested to Ginny that she try to think "Help! Riddle house," to Evanna at night when Evanna was less likely to be being distracted, but most evenings the would-be death eaters came in to torture them, or sometimes simply taunt them. The girls weren't sure which was worse. Either way, Ginny found she simply couldn't concentrate afterwards.

"Why don't they simply torture us every night?" asked Ginny.

Hermione thought for a moment. "I think they're using psychological torture," she replied.

"Psycho what?"

"It's a muggle thing. You can adapt to bad treatment, but when you don't know what's going to happen, or when, it's worse."

Ginny muttered her agreement. "I'm sorry, Hermione," she said suddenly.

"What for?"

"I can't do this. I simply can't concentrate enough."

"It's okay. They'll find us eventually."

They were suddenly aware of the door opening. "Hah. Find you, will they? I hope so, I really hope so."

"Why?" asked Ginny

"The house is cursed. There's only one way in without tripping the curse. Anyone else will be cursed into oblivion. And you," he sneered, looking at Hermione, "you're supposed to be the brightest witch of your age. You mean you hadn't guessed that."

Hermione was too shocked to even look defiant. Her look was met with laughter and the cruciatus curse, which left both girls screaming yet again.

Hermione was deep in thought all the next day, trying to think of a way to warn Ron and Harry.

"Ginny," she said suddenly, startling the other girl.

"What?"

"I've an idea. Whatever happens tonight, try not to get involved."

"What are you going to do?"

"Never mind. Just stay out of it, whatever they do. Promise me?"

Ginny hesitated.

"I mean it, Ginny. You must. Promise me."

Ginny's eyes were wide and Hermione could see her struggling mentally.

"Please, Ginny. This has to work."

"I promise," Ginny nodded.

When the would-be death-eaters came in that evening, Hermione flung herself towards the leader of the and, thinking to herself, 'Ron, forgive me,' began to kiss him.

He was enraged and flung her to the wall. "Filthy mudblood. All of them pointed their wands at her, crying "Crucio."

Fortunately for Hermione, the effect was slightly lessened as she was barely conscious. She'd hit her head hard on the wall. Despite that, her body contorted with the pain and Ginny had to force herself to do nothing.

Finny it was over and the men had gone. Ginny ran to Hermione, "Please don't be dead," she wept. "Please..."

Hermione didn't stir.

After a while, Ginny returned to the bed more determined than she'd ever been.

"Evanna, Help me. The Riddle house. Cursed," she screamed in her thoughts, over and over again.

Evanna, meanwhile, had been getting more and more depressed. The others told her repeatedly that she wasn't to blame for not being able to get in touch with Ginny, but she was blaming herself. Even Bonnie's joking about her getting 'Harry Syndrome' couldn't make her laugh any more.

Some of the others had gone out for the evening, to relax, for once, instead of more interviews, but Evanna had opted to stay behind.

The others came back to a harassed-looking member of staff. "Thank God. Your friend was having a nightmare and screaming the place down." At their look of concern, she added, "she's okay now, but very shaken."

She left Evanna's friends with her, giving a sigh of relief. "What happened?" asked Bonnie.

"I just had a nightmare."

"Tell us," insisted Emma. "It might be important. Wait, I think we ought to call Ron and Harry first." She pressed the communicator coin they'd given her and Harry and Ron appeared with two quiet pops only seconds later.

Emma quickly explained that Evanna had been screaming in a nightmare, then asked Evanna, "So what happened?"

"There's not much. It was like I was watching...", she looked reluctantly at Ron and took a deep breath. "They were torturing Hermione. She just collapsed. I think... I think she's dead. But it was just a dream, right?" she begged.

"Anything else?" asked Ron, in a level tone of voice that belied his feelings at that moment.

Evanna shook her head. "I'm sorry. Nothing."

Ron turned to Emma. His face was grim. Can you get the one who woke her?"

Emma returned with the barmaid who'd been called in to wake Evanna by the night porter.

Ron asked her, "Can you remember what Evanna was screaming?"

"No, why? Does it matter?"

Ron sighed. "No. Thank you for waking her."

He heard Harry mutter something and the barmaid turned towards Harry. She looked at him strangely for a moment, then shrugged and walked away.

"The Riddle house," said Harry. "I got it from the barmaid's mind. That's what Evanna was screaming. They're at the Riddle house."

"But it was destroyed, wasn't it?"

"Obviously not. Let's go."

"No, wait!" cried Evanna. "It's a trap. I know it is."

"Fine," said Harry with an icy voice. "We're ready. Ready, Ron?" Ron nodded.

Evanna almost threw herself at Harry. "Please. It's cursed!"

"How?" asked Ron.

"I don't know. I just know it is."

"Well, I'm still going," insisted Ron.

"Don't you have someone who can check it for curses?" asked Emma.

"I'll get Bill," said Ron. "Meet you at the entrance to the grounds in five, okay Harry?"

Harry nodded, then disappeared. Ron disappeared a moment later.

Less than three minutes later Ron and Bill joined Harry at the entrance to the grounds of the Riddle house.

Bill only took seconds before turning to the other two and saying, "Yes, it's cursed."

"Can you...?"

"No Problem. It'll take a few days though."

"A few days?" Ron almost screamed, desperate to see Hermione.

"Ron. In Egypt we sometimes work for months to break the curses on a tomb. This will be easy in comparison, but it will still take time." Seeing Ron's stubborn look, he added, "Don't even think of going in there first, either of you. You'll be dead before you get there."

Ron's look of pain was almost more than his older brother could bear. "I'll get you there. She's strong, Ron. She'll make it."

Ron turned away, determined not to let anyone see the tears forcing their way from his eyes.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

The charm alarming them about intruders had sounded and the would-be death-eaters looked out.

"Come on in," one of them muttered quietly.

"You two, shut up. That's Bill Weasely."

"So what?"

"He's one of Gringott's best curse-breakers, that's what. We need to make a plan."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

After the first frustrating day, to save time, Bill had asked Gringott's for the help of the other curse-breakers, and, to his surprise, his request had been granted. He apparated home to tell Fleur.

"Fleur!" he called.

No answer.

"Fleur?"

He began to panic now.

"FLEUR?"

His eyes picked up a small envelope. He opened it.

_We have her._

_Just an encouragement NOT to succeed at the Riddle house._

Bill angrily scrunched the note in his hand and apparated to the Burrow. Even after all this time, it was the place he felt instinctively to go if he was in trouble.

He wasn't surprised to see Ron and Harry there.

He handed Ron the note.

"I'm sorry, mate," Ron began, but Bill cut him off.

"Don't say it."

"I'll understand if you don't want to..."

"Forget it. They wouldn't spare her anyway. Her best chance is for us to get in there, fast. I've borrowed the other curse-breakers from Gringott's..."

"How?"

"They seem to think highly of Harry for some reason." Bill almost smiled. "We'll get in there tomorrow or I'm not a Weasley."

"A team of Aurors is already on standby. Just give us the word."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

"See your loving husband? He's out there still. He can't love you very much."

His hand was instinctively roaming over Fleur's body. Even when she hated him, her Veela charm was irresistible.

Fleur refused to answer him and her determination was met with a slap across the face. Then his hand edged lower.

He was interrupted with a shout. "We don't have time for that."

He pulled his hand away, appearing to struggle to do so. "Later, my beauty."

"Never," she whispered.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

The curse breakers were working as fast as they could. At times it almost looked like a battle as spells were set off and lights flashed everywhere or explosions detonated.

It was a long day. Finally it was Arthur Weasley who walked up to Bill and said, "You need to rest now. So do they," he added, pointing to the other curse breakers.

"But, Dad..."

"No, son. Think. If you don't all rest, you'll make mistakes. Getting yourselves killed won't help the girls."

"But..." Bill began, then sighed. He knew his father was right. He called to the others, "That's it for today. Come back at seven tomorrow morning. Thanks for all your help."

They shouted back their goodbyes and "you're welcome" and left, with pops rather louder than usual. His father had been right, they were getting tired.

"Thanks, Dad."

"You need to sleep too," he replied.

"I couldn't."

"Take a dreamless sleep potion," he insisted. Your mother will have some.

"I need to be alert tomorrow," Bill argued.

"You won't be if you don't sleep."

As Bill resisted, Ron added, "You won't be any good to the girls if you aren't one hundred per cent. We need you tomorrow, bro."

Bill nodded, a look of resignation in his eyes. He knew he'd lost this battle. The one he had to win wasn't until tomorrow.

Evanna was upstairs in the Burrow. She looked tired and drawn. "Still having nightmares?" asked Bill.

"Yeah. Not so strong though. I think I'm just remembering the first one."

"If you remember anything specific, be sure to tell us."

"Of course," Evanna snapped, looking hurt.

"Sorry. I'm just worried."

"I know. I am too." She desperately wanted to add, "They'll be alright," but she just wasn't sure they would. Reluctantly she took herself to bed again.

"Evanna?"

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley?"

"These nightmares aren't doing you any good. Why don't I give you some dreamless sleep potion as well?"

"No, thank you. I have to stay alert, just in case."

She didn't explain further. She didn't have to. Mrs. Weasley understood.

"Okay, dear."

Evanna went upstairs and flung herself on the bed, crying.

She had another almost sleepless night and when she got up, Bill, Ron and Harry had already gone.

"Bill, I thought the idea was NOT to set off the curses," asked Harry.

"Normally, yes. But this is quicker."

"Okay. Be careful, okay?"

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

"They won't be long now."

"My husband will feenish you all," said Fleur.

"Nothing we haven't planned for." He pointed his wand at her face and whispered something she couldn't hear.

Suddenly her face was burning and she collapsed with the pain.

When she woke, Ginny was looking at her.

"My face? It feels..."

"Burned," said Ginny. "I'm sorry."

"Then it's over," the Veela replied after tenderly feeling her face. "I can't go back like this."

"Why?"

"My Bill, he deserves better."

Ginny almost cried. "You think Bill won't love you now? You don't know my brother. Did what happened to him stop you loving him? You think he's really that shallow?"

Fleur thought for a moment and actually smiled. "No. He's not."

"You think he'll blame you for... for what they've been doing to you?"

"Never!" Fleur protested.

"Well then. Fleur. Bill saw more in you than your looks and your Veela charm. He saw what we didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"We didn't exactly welcome you, did we?"

Fleur didn't answer.

"I'm sorry for the things I said about you. You're a real Weasley. You risked your life for Harry and now I know you've been deliberately distracting them and keeping them from me."

"I.."

"Don't deny it," Ginny snapped. Fleur looked a little ashamed. "Fleur, I just hope we get out of this alive. I want to tell Bill how proud I am to have you as my sister-in-law."

She didn't have a chance to see Fleur's reaction as stunning spells suddenly hit them both.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

"Now it's just ordinary wards,"said Bill with relief.

His team took less than a minute to dispose of those and they fell with a loud crashing sound.

Ron looked at Bill for confirmation.

Bill nodded. "Go!"

It took just a couple of minutes for Ron to return. "Bill. Fleur's hurt. She's alive."

Bill ran, following Ron.

Fleur was still unconscious, but beginning to come round. Her face was badly burned and he could smell the burning still.

"I'll take her to St. Mungo's," he told Ron. Then, "The others?"

"Gone," said Ron in a voice that betrayed his hopelessness. "They were here, but they're not here now."

**Author's note...**

**After a week of working at two jobs and another week learning my new job, I'm now going to be working just five days a week. Sorry for the long delay. Hopefully I'll have a little more energy to write now.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Deatheaters' revenge, chapter six. **

**Disclaimer:-**

**Harry Potter belongs to J.K.Rowling, her various publishers and Warner Brothers. The only things in this story which belong to me are the plot and any characters not found in JKR's books.**

**Author's note...**

**I've corrected some errors in the last chapter. To anyone who didn't get how Harry knew it was the Riddle House he simply took it from the barmaid's memory of what Evanna had been screaming. (In the corrected version I've had him explain that.)**

**RECAP.**

**Ron and his team got into the house where the girls were being held and rescued Fleur, but Hermione and Ginny had already gone...**

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Ron's team spent hours searching the house for any clue where they'd taken Hermione and Ginny, still not knowing if Hermione was even alive.

In the hospital Fleur was punching the air and screaming something in French until the mediwitch has to force some dreamless sleep potion down her throat to make her sleep.

"You might as well go home," she told Bill. "She won't wake until the morning."

"I'm staying," he retorted roughly.

The mediwitch nodded and left.

It was late that night when Ron arrived at the hospital. "Any news?" he asked.

"They said she'll be alright," said Bill heavily.

"But?"

"At least we'll have matching scars now," Bill replied in a bitter tone of voice.

"Sorry, mate."

"No. It's me who should be sorry. Moaning about something that doesn't matter. At least I got her back. Sorry I'd wasn't quicker. Perhaps if we'd kept working through the night..."

"You'd probably have ended up dead," finished Ron. "Harry and I know you couldn't rush it. Did she say anything when she came round?"

"She didn't really come round properly, just started screaming the place down till they poured potion down her throat to knock her out for the night."

Noting Ron's disappointed face, Bill added, "Look. The moment she can talk, I'll ask her about Hermione and Ginny, okay?"

Ron nodded. "I know you will. I think I'll head back to the burrow."

"You look all in. You'd better floo."

It was a sombre gathering at the burrow. Mrs. Weasley was unsuccessfully trying to get Harry to eat when Ron tripped through the fireplace landing uncomfortably on the floor.

"Ah, Ron. You'll have something to eat, I know."

"Not hungry," he muttered.

Everyone was so stunned by that comment that they didn't say a thing.

Harry felt strange to be sharing Ron's old room again. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"You awake?"

Too miserable to joke about it, he just replied, "Yeah. Can´t sleep."

"Me neither." ... "Harry?"

"Yeah, Ron?"

"What if she is dead? What do I do?"

"She won't be," Harry replied in a determined tone of voice.

"But if she is? I wasted so much time, put her through so much. And now, to lose her..."

"We'll get her back," Harry promised. "They wouldn't have bothered taking her with them if she was dead, would they?"

Ron thought. "I suppose not. Unlikely anyway. Now we've got to find them again."

Far away, someone else wasn't sleeping well either."It's my fault. If I'd been quicker..."

"Evanna," snapped Rupert. "It's nobody's fault but those bastards."

"Rupert! Language," said Emma, "Sorry, force of habit. He's right, Evanna."

"You don't understand," cried Evanna. "I have to find them."

The others tried to console her, but she pushed them all away and finally cried herself to sleep.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Bill was woken by a scream. "Fleur!" he cried.

Fleur opened her eyes warily. "Bill?"

"It's okay now, we rescued you."

Fleur instinctively put a hand to her face.

"It doesn't matter," Bill assured her rapidly.

For once, the always self-assured Tri-Wizard champion of Beauxbatons looked unsure of herself.

"I mean it." ... "I love you, not your face."

Her eyes narrowed at that. Realising he'd somehow said the wrong thing, he reached out to touch her face. "These scars? They just mean my wife is brave, right?" echoing her own words from after he had been attacked by the werewolf and left with a scarred face.

"Molly told you?"

"Did you really think I could love you any less?"

For a moment Fleur look ashamed.

To lighten the mood Bill added, "And if I didn't have you, who would give me raw steaks?"

"Rare," she corrected, "Not raw, rare." She smiled knowing he was teasing.

He smiled back, the only one who could get away with teasing Fleur. "I will always love you, only you."

Just as he thought everything was okay, she turned her face away again. This time she began to cry.

"What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed. This was Fleur. Nothing made her cry. Not even giving birth to their children had made her cry, which had amazed Molly and totally astounded Ginny.

"Tell me, Fleur. What's wrong?" Suddenly the look of shame on her face gave him a clue. "What did they do to you?"

After what seemed to Bill to be an age, Fleur opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Ron came bursting into the room. "Has she said anything yet?"

Tightening his fists to control himself, Bill replied evenly. "Not yet. She's only just woken up." Having a good idea of the pain Ron was going through, Bill's anger quickly melted away. He turned to Fleur and asked, "Can you tell us anything about Hermione and Ginny?"

Ron couldn't keep silent. "Is Hermione alive?" he asked desperately.

At her quiet reply of "Yes", Ron let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "She's alive, but she's unconscious most of the time. We couldn't do anything for her," Fleur said, biting her lip to stop herself crying again.

"What happened?" asked Ron almost frantically.

"Ginny said she hit her head on the wall..."

"How?"

"One of them threw her... Then they used the cruciatus, but Ginny isn't sure she was conscious enough to feel it. Ever since Ginny and I have been casting healing charms over her, but she never came round properly. I don't know why they took her and let me go."

"I do," said Ron bitterly. "They want to get at me. I should never have married her," he said, despairingly. "I put her in danger."

For the first time that morning both men saw anger and strength in Fleur. "Don't you dare say that."

Ron stared. "It's true."

"How dare you? You think Hermione didn't know it was dangerous to be the wife of an head auror? You think I didn't know it could be dangerous to me when Bill offered to help break those curses? I told him to go."

Ron looked at Bill, who was nodding.

"We chose our paths, the same as you did." Bill was smiling now. This was Fleur as he knew her again. "Don't you dare take away our choice on how we live." Suddenly her voice faltered. "That's what they did," she finished quietly.

It was obvious to both men what she must be referring to. Bill, not wanting to get into a discussion of that with Ron there, quickly changed the subject. "How is Ginny?" he asked.

"Good," Fleur replied, giving a grateful glance at Bill. "She's good. She's stronger than I am, I think."

Bill gave her a disbelieving look. Ron, remembering all the hexes he'd suffered at Ginny's hands when they were small, was more easily convinced.

"You've no idea where they've taken them?" Ron asked.

Fleur shook her head. "Ginny heard something about a place you could never find them, but we had no idea where."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Miles away, a very different conversation was going on. Evanna had been so distraught the evening before and had frequently woken up in the night, crying, that Daniel, Rupert, Emma and Bonnie had been taking it in turns to stay with her.

A loud pop woke up Evanna and startled Rupert, who'd been falling asleep, and brought the others running.

Luna looked at them musingly. "It's nice to have friends," she said.

Emma looked sad for her, but Luna smiled. "I have friends now," she assured her. "Good friends." She quickly turned to Evanna. "How are you, Evanna?"

Evanna didn't answer.

"You shouldn't blame yourself," she continued, getting straight to the point as usual. "That's what they'd want you to do."

"Who?"

"Those who took them," she replied, then added, "And the nargles."

The others looked at her trying to decide if she was serious or not, but her face, as usual, gave nothing away.

"I was talking with Professor McGonagall last night. I thought perhaps your connection might be stronger in a place surrounded by magic. And she agreed. Would you like to come back to Hogwarts?"

Evanna's face brightened at the thought, then she looked at Bonnie and her other friends.

"It's okay. They can come too."

"Us?" said Daniel, "Go to the real Hogwarts?"

Luna smiled and Rupert wondered how she'd managed not to have any friends in her early years at Hogwarts with a smile like that.

"Go to Hogwarts?" repeated Emma. "Oh yes."

"Don't worry about her," said Rupert. "She won't get in the way. You'll never get her out of the library."

"I'm not Hermione," replied Emma.

"You should see her exam results," Rupert insisted.

Daniel nodded with a smirk on his face.

"Boys!" Emma sighed, to laughter all round.

But surprisingly, it was Rupert, not Emma, that pointed out that they couldn't simply disappear to Hogwarts without leaving some sort of word where they had gone, which would satisfy the media, not to mention the bosses of Time Warner.

So Emma let the hotel and her agent know that they were taking a rest in another hotel in a secret location, away from the press, asking him to inform Time Warner.

Once that was done Luna said they'd be apparating to Hogwarts.

"But you can't apparate to Hogwarts," objected Emma. Lune smiled. "It says so in..." Realising she was being laughed at again, she finished, "Hermione says so."

Luna simply called some castle elves from Hogwarts. Before the muggles could even react, an elf took each of them by the hand and they'd disappeared.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Yet another very different, very one-sided, conversation was going on elsewhere.

"Hermione, please wake up," Ginny begged, not really expecting her to do so. "I don't like being stuck here in the dark on my own." Wherever they had her tied was pitch black. She could see no more than the unconscious Hermione.

Ginny remembered that Fleur had told her it was important to talk to someone who was unconscious, so, as Fleur had instructed, Ginny began telling Hermione everything that was happening. "Harry and Ron came for us yesterday. They found us, do you hear? Fleur escaped..." Ginny realised this wasn't quite the truth but she wanted to sound as optimistic as possible. "So, Harry and Ron won't take long to find us again and we'll be free. So you have to wake up for Ron, okay?" Ginny found herself choking on the words. "You have to, okay? My dumb brother needs you."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Luna had said to Professor McGonagall that she'd bring the muggles to Hogwarts discretely. The professor wasn't sure that having the castle elves appear with them in the Great Hall while breakfast was still going on was what she would call discrete personally.

It was difficult to say who was more stunned, Daniel, Rupert and Emma, or the Hogwarts students, or come to that, the Hogwarts staff.

Bonnie and Evanna seemed pleased to be back and some of the students who knew them ran up to welcome them. They quickly introduced the other three, who didn't actually need introducing as they quickly found that they were as well known in Hogwarts as they were everywhere else.

They spent most of the day being shown around Hogwarts by Bonnie and a group of students, while Professor McGonagall had insisted that Evanna spend at least a good part of the day resting, much to her frustration.

She also suggested, somewhat reluctantly, that Evanna might spend some of the day with Professor Trelawney.

Daniel had found he quickly had his hands full, mostly being questioned by the younger students on how he could fly in the films if he wasn't really a wizard.

His attempts to explain special effects were largely unsuccessful and many of the younger witches and wizards seemed to remain convinced that he was really a wizard in disguise, much to Emma's amusement

"Don't you dare tell the Phelps twins about this," Daniel begged Rupert, who was laughing almost as much as Emma. "I'll never live it down."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

There was less pleasant laughter elsewhere as the kidnappers discussed the final stages of their plan. "You're actually going to bring them here?"

"Yes. I'm sure it will have memories. But I'll add a little light. I want to see their heroic faces when they see the girls' bodies."

"But they'll come with a whole group."

"No. I will make sure that the entrance will only allow one at a time. We kill one, then allow the other to join him. By the time anyone else finds their way in, we'll be long gone."

"Exactly where are we anyway?"

"Somewhere impossible. Not even the one who got us in here knows where we are or how we got in here."

For the first time, the other kidnappers began to worry, not about the plan failing, but what might happen to them when it succeeded.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

**Author's note...**

**Someone offered to beta for me but a disastrous computer crash means I lost their email. Please contact me again as I still don't have a beta. I've finished this chapter and two chapters of Prophecy Repeated. Unfortunately as I write this my internet connection is STILL not working for me to post them. Thanks Telecom! I finally transferred this to a diskette to upload from an internet cafe. Please review. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Deatheaters' revenge, chapter seven. **

**Disclaimer:-**

**Harry Potter belongs to J.K.Rowling, her various publishers and Warner Brothers. The only things in this story which belong to me are the plot and any characters not found in JKR's books.**

**RECAP.**

**Fleur told Ron that Hermione is alive, but she doesn't know where Hermione and Ginny have been taken. Luna has taken Evanna and the other muggles to Hogwarts.**

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Professor McGonagall looked at the note left on the stairs to her office. 'Room of requirement. Ask for the way to Ginny. Tell Ron, come alone.'

Within an hour Harry and Ron had arrived, a team of aurors had followed them only minutes later. "It said come alone," argued Harry.

"Since when do we let kidnappers order us around?" Ron had retorted. "I'll go first, then Harry, then the aurors follow. Wands out. Ready?" Several of the aurors had said that if it was a trap, which it almost certainly was, they should go first, but Ron would have none of it.

Ron entered the narrow corridor and it disappeared, leaving the others nowhere to follow. Harry cursed at the bare wall, but it did nothing. Ron was gone. Alone. The trap had been sprung.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Ginny had been sleeping fitfully. With no sign of light or dark, morning or night, just dark all the time, she'd found that her body seemed to have no idea when it should sleep or be awake.

The hard rock she was lying on hadn't exactly made sleeping any easier. She tried to explore the area by touch. It seemed to be a large cave of some kind and, her soaking feet told her, water at one edge. She wondered if she could swim to escape, but it was icy cold, and with no idea of where it went, especially as she couldn't see a thing, swimming was something she wouldn't bet on helping her survive. Besides, she could never help Hermione across whatever it was.

Hermione! She had forgotten her for a moment. Ginny made her way back to where she thought she'd started, but quickly realised she'd lost her bearings in the pitch darkness. She couldn't find Hermione.

Ginny began to shake with frustration. If only there was some light. If only she had her wand, even the light from the lumos charm would be enough to see by.

She sat down hard, feeling decidedly sorry for herself. Glad that Harry couldn't see her giving up, she began to cry herself back to sleep.

Seconds later she jolted herself back to a sitting position. "Come quickly. Harry needs you!" She heard it as clearly as she'd "heard" Evanna calling for her in her mind when Bonnie had collapsed however long ago that was.

What would Harry do? Giving up just wasn't an option. She felt ashamed of her attitude a few minutes before. She quickly searched for a stick, but she couldn't find one. A small rock then, it would have to do. That was easy to find, though she wasn't sure it would be effective.

"I hope I can still do this, Harry," she muttered. It had been a long while since Harry had made them practice wandless magic in the DA. "Lumos," she almost shouted at the rock. Nothing. Desperately trying to encourage herself with every happy memory to give her strength, she cried again, "Lumos."

As memory after memory came back to her, she could help but smile. "That can't work, it's impossible," she said aloud, then giving in to the ridiculous temptation, she cried out, "Expecto Patronum."

A feeble disc of light flew from her hand. She looked around the ground and saw Hermione. Her joy at finding her friend made the patronus, if you could call it that, brighter. It was still more like a weak torch than a patronus, but, looking up there was enough light that she recognised where she was at once and her shock immediately caused her patronus to fail. But her fear was gone, replaced by anger and determination. "You think you can beat me when even Tom had trouble?" she said aloud.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Evanna woke up with a start, her heart racing, and finding herself sweating. She grabbed the person sitting close her her without even noticing who it was. Professor McGonagall looked at her with concern. "Are you overdoing it?" she asked.

"The chamber of secrets."

"What?"

"That's where they are. I know it."

The professor actually ran to find Harry, still with the aurors, outside the room of requirement, not caring who saw her less than usually dignified progress. Evanna, still in her nightdress, ran after her, barely able to keep up.

Harry looked up, surprised. "Professor?"

"They're in the chamber of secrets," gasped Evanna.

"But nobody but Harry can get in there;" argued one of the aurors.

"If they used the room of requirement, it's possible," replied Professor McGonagall.

"But it won't let us follow."

"It doesn't have to," said Harry. "I can still get in there."

"Not alone," said the auror.

"Not alone," Harry agreed.

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Hit by stunning spells from what seemed like all directions at once, Ron had quickly been overpowered. He came round to find his wand gone and himself tied up. A strange mist covered most of the area beyond him.

From out of the mist one of the death-eaters appeared. "Good, you're awake. Took you long enough."

"You try being stunned from everywhere at once," replied Ron, bitterly, determined not to show any fear of the man. "How many did it take?"

"I'm not stupid," the man replied. "I doubt any one of us could take you alone."

He waved his wand and the mist dissipated quickly to reveal Ginny and...

"Hermione!" Ron cried. "Is she?"

"She's still alive," said Ginny, weak and almost scared witless at the sight of her brother, without his wand and surrounded by the death eaters.

"I don't know how," admitted the death-eater. "She should be dead by now. And now you're here is the perfect time. Let's see if the cruciatus curse can wake her shall we?"

Ron swore and struggled against his bonds.

Hermione's body contorted under the effects of the curse but she remained unconscious.

"It's just not the same without the screams," complained the death-eater. "Here..." he turned his wand on Ginny. "Crucio!" ... "That's better."

Ginny's screams didn't seem to satisfy him, especially when he noticed that Ron was still looking with such concern at Hermione, almost ignoring his sister.

Ron turned to the death-eater. "So why have you brought me here? To kill me?"

"You, then Potter."

"Harry won't fall for the same trap. He'll come with aurors."

"The room won't let him. And he doesn't know where we are, so the only way he can come is through the room of requirement. He'll come anyway. But first. You and the mudblood."

"Kill me. Leave her alone."

"A true Gryffindor," the death-eater laughed. "Remember that nasty little curse that nearly killed her in the department of mysteries? I wonder how long she'd last now. And when you've watched the mudblood die, I'll kill you too. Don't worry. I'll make it short. You are a pureblood, after all, dirty blood-traitor or not."

For once, Ron couldn't think of anything to say. He didn't even hear the spell as purple fire came from the death-eater's wand heading straight at Hermione.

Suddenly everything happened at once. Ginny screamed loudly, "No!" and threw herself in front of Hermione, collapsing in agony as the spell hit her instead of the unconscious girl.

The great door at one end of the chamber opened and Harry ran in, firing green spells first at the torturer, then at the other death-eaters which Ron hadn't even noticed. He was followed by Ron's team of aurors, but the surprise advantage of Harry appearing when they didn't expect him to left the aurors with nothing to do. Ron stared at Harry for a moment, shocked that Harry had used the Avada Kedavra curse, killing the death-eaters instantly.

Even as Ron cried out, "Harry – Ginny", Harry was already running to Ginny, who was losing blood rapidly.

"Out of my way," barked Professor McGonagall. She was followed by some of the castle elves. "Take the girls to the hospital wing," she ordered and they disappeared at once with Hermione and Ginny.

"Are you okay?" she asked Ron. He nodded, still in a daze.

"You and Harry had better get to the hospital wing," she said, releasing Ron from the ropes still holding him although the binding spells had gone the moment their caster had been killed. Obviously the death-eaters hadn't been sure enough that their magic would be enough to hold him.

Once they arrived, Madam Pomfrey warned them, "Ginny will probably recover, but it will take time."

"And Hermione?" asked Harry, Ron being almost too scared to speak.

"She's suffering from the cruciatus, but also from a simple brain injury. There's a muggle doctor who specialises in such things. He's being taken to St. Mungo's now. With his skill and the magical techniques, we hope she can be cured. Then we worry about the cruciatus."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

The operation had been one of the most unusual ever seen at St. Mungo's. A wizarding scan had shown the muggle surgeon what needed to be done and he directed the mediwizard, who used his wand for the delicate surgery needed to break down and clear the blood clots.

"She should have died from pressure in the brain," admitted the surgeon as they left the room. "You say two other girls cast healing spells the whole time?"

The mediwizard nodded.

"I wish we could do that. Well, that's all I can do. She should recover from the injury, but the curse you spoke about, that's your area. Call me again if you need me."

At that point Harry and Ron saw them and were quick to run to the surgeon. "Let me see...," he said. "You must be Ron. Don't look so surprised, I have read the books."

"How is she?"

"My part is done. The damage from the injury was kept to a minimum thanks to the healing spells cast on her. How they managed it I don't know, but they kept her alive by keeping the blood pressure in the brain from killing her. As for the curse, you'll have to ask the mediwizard here."

"Doctor. Thank you." Ron held out his hand.

The doctor shook it warmly. "As I said, I've read the books. It is I who should thank you, both of you, and that young lady in there."

Ron turned to the mediwizard as the surgeon walked away. "Well?"

"I don't know, Mr. Weasley. We think the fact that the head injury kept her unconscious most of the time may have protected her from the worst effects of the curse. I'm afraid all you can do is wait."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Two days later, Ginny finally came round. Of course, Harry was at her bedside. So was George, the whole family taking it in turns to be with Harry at Ginny's bedside. "It hurts," Ginny moaned.

"That'll teach you not to jump in front of deadly curses," said George.

"I had to."

"I know, sis. That's why I'm not even gonna be able to tease you about it."

"Hermione? How is she?"

"Very sick," Harry answered. "Your healing spells saved her, now we have to wait and see."

"I want to see her," Ginny said, trying to get up.

"No. You mustn't move," said Harry. "It could still injure you further. If you promise not to move, I'll go and find out how she is."

He could see Ginny wanting to argue, but she lay back down. "Okay. Be quick."

** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

It was three nights later, as Ron was laying next to Hermione, holding her in his arms as he'd insisted on doing every moment he could, much to the consternation of the medics, that Hermione finally stirred.

"Hermione? It's me, Ron... Come back to me... I need you."

Nothing. The mediwitch encouraged Ron to keep talking to her even if he thought she couldn't hear him, so, feeling foolish, Ron continued to do so.

Another two days passed, with only the occasional movement from Hermione. Ron had refused to leave her side except to go to the toilet the whole time.

"Ron?" Hermione said in a weak voice. "Is that you?"

"Yes. Oh thank Merlin." Ron shook with emotion unable to speak again.

"Ron?"

"Yes? Do you need anything?"

"Ron. You need a bath."

It was almost two weeks later before Hermione was allowed out of the hospital, on the strict condition that she returned daily to be checked over and stayed quietly at home for a few weeks. It was nearly three weeks after that before they finally released Ginny, who still ached from the curse that had almost killed her.

Harry and Ginny, arrived first at the Burrow to welcome home party. Ginny looked around to see her friends, and among the muggle friends who had come for the celebration, she saw Evanna. She walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you," she said simply.

Evanna smiled. "You're welcome."

"And how about this for a welcome?" George was saying, teasing Hermione, who had just arrived with Ron. "She wakes up, and the first thing she says to her loving Ron is he needs a bath."

"Well he did," laughed Hermione. "He stank. And they say the first sense to come back is hearing. I'm not so sure. I think I could smell him before I could hear him," she teased.

"I didn't want to leave you," said Ron, colouring up with embarrassment.

"I know," she said seriously. "And I love you for it."

She hugged Ron tightly, then walked over to Ginny. "Hi, Ginny," she said, suddenly shy.

"Hi," beamed Ginny.

"I never got the chance to thank you for what you did."

"Fleur taught me the healing spell."

"I didn't mean that, I meant taking..."

"We're even," said Ginny, interrupting her.

Hermione looked puzzled.

"Harry wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for you and Ron being with him all those years."

"I'm not sure that makes us even," smiled Hermione.

"Well, I say it does. But if there's any other curses flying around like that one, you're welcome to keep it away from me. It hurt like hell."

"I remember."

"Let's just hope that's the last of the death-eaters," Ginny said.

"I'll drink to that," replied Hermione, as they were joined by Ron and Harry.

"Why would you drink about it?" asked Ginny, puzzled.

"It's a muggle saying. Don't worry."

"Mental, that one," said Ron, and they all laughed together.

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**Author's note...**

**Well, I hope you like this short addition to the Ginny and the muggles story. Sorry I took so long to complete it. Thanks to my new beta klintz for help with this chapter. Please review. **


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